DISCLAIMER: This story is based upon the series, Charmed, that was created by Constance M. Burge. All Charmed characters are the property of Spelling Productions, with the exceptions of Sarah Jane McRitchie and Mark Poole, whom I created.

OCTOBER 31, 1999

The kitchen of Halliwell Manor is alive with activity as the three sisters place down bags of candy. "There we go." Prue says: "I think we have more than enough Halloween candy for the trick-or-treaters that will come by tonight," she glances at Phoebe and continues: "Unlike last year, when somebody in this house ate most of the candies herself. This will not happen again!" Phoebe blushes and shrugs her shoulders and then replies: "I was hungry, and Piper was working late, so she couldn't fix me dinner." Piper then jumps in: "Phoebe Halliwell, since when did I become your personal chef?" Seeing the outraged look on Piper's face, Phoebe quickly adds: "What I mean to say is that you're such a great cook, best in the world. In my books no one can top you." Piper relents: "Okay, Pheebs. You've made your point." Prue, begins to arrange the candies into bowls, which will be placed in the front hall this evening. "Okay now how about we start getting these decorations up?" she asks her sisters and the three of them quickly get to work.

Later that day, Phoebe is somewhat bored. Sister Mary has called and said that they do not need Phoebe to come into the shelter today, so she decides to find something else to occupy her time. Going up into the attic, Phoebe opens the Book of Shadows and thinks to herself: I wonder if there is anything in here about Halloween. Phoebe opens the Book and looks up Halloween: Refer to Samhain? What does that mean? Phoebe looks through the Book until she comes across an entry for Samhain and reads what is written there:

"Samhain, or Hallows in the Wiccan term, was the beginning of the year in the Druidic calendar. It was said at this time that the barriers between the mortal world and the spirit world were lowered and the spirits of the dead could freely cross over. The mortal people would mingle with said spirits by wearing costumes. Great fire festivals were held to honor the visiting spirits. These rituals have translated themselves into the modern holiday known as Halloween, a fascinating night of celebration and imagination."

Phoebe closes the Book. Wow! she thinks to herself: So that's how Halloween got started.

Prue and Piper are still downstairs when Phoebe comes down and tells them what she has found. "According to the Book of Shadows, on this day the barriers between our world and the spirit world are not as strong. So if we took the Ouija Board and..." Phoebe gets no further as Prue cuts her off: "Forget it, Phoebe. We're not going to fool with the Ouija Board today." When Phoebe asks why not, Prue continues: "Because, as you said, the barriers are weaker. I just think some things are better off left alone. You understand me, Phoebe?" Phoebe gives Prue the "you never let me have any fun" look and says: "Yeah, I understand."

A short time later, the phone rings and Prue answers it: "Hello? Oh, Claire. What do... But it's Sunday! Oh all right, I'll be right there." She slams down the phone. "What's wrong?" Piper asks. "Oh, somebody misplaced the inventory list of the new consignment." Prue angrily replies: "Claire, bless her cold heart, wants me to come in and sort it out. I'll be gone at least three hours." Prue quickly gets her things together and heads off to Buckland's.

Soon after Prue has left, Piper comes into the dining room. There she finds Phoebe fiddling with the Ouija Board. "Phoebe, what do you think you're doing? Remember what Prue said." Phoebe just laughs: "Oh nuts to Prue and her warnings. I don't think there is any danger here at all. The three of us have faced Warlocks, Demons and even gone up against the Devil himself, and we came out ahead every time. I'm sure I can handle any spirits that cut up as well." Phoebe does the "sad puppy eyes" routine. "Please, Piper? Just don't tell Prue." Piper considers: "Okay, Pheebs, have your fun. Just remember this warning, if Prue finds out, you're on your own. I never saw this. Is that clear?" Phoebe grins at her sister and replies: "Crystal."

Prue has arrived at Buckland's and is met by Claire. "It was very nice of you to give up your Sunday like this." Claire says sweetly. Prue nods her head and thinks: As if you gave me a choice! At least Rex never made me work Sundays. Aloud, Prue says: "Let's get to work."

Back at Halliwell Manor, Phoebe is still at the Ouija Board, moving the pointer around. "I call upon any spirit who wishes to communicate on this Eve of Samhain. Come to me, let me hear you." Suddenly the pointer begins to vibrate loudly. Kit, who had been laying nearby, suddenly hisses and bolts out of the room. Whoa, this is really getting out of hand. Phoebe thinks and opens her mouth to call Piper. However, before she can do that, she feels something swiftly enter her body and everything goes black.

Piper is in the kitchen, drinking a coffee, when she hears a loud crash come from the dining room. "Phoebe!" she calls: "Are you okay?" There is no answer. Quickly, Piper runs into the dining room and sees Phoebe lying on the floor, not moving. "Phoebe!" Piper yells and runs to her sister's side. With relief, Piper sees that Phoebe is still breathing. She begins gently slapping Phoebe's cheeks: "Pheebs, wake up! Wake up!" Phoebe moans and opens her eyes. "Well thank God." Piper says: "I knew I shouldn't have let you fool with that Ouija Board. I swear that..." she trails off as Phoebe slowly gets to her feet and looks around. "Phoebe, are you all right?" Piper asks with concern in her voice. Phoebe looks at her with puzzlement and replies: "Who is this... Phoebe?" Piper's mouth drops open and she thinks: Oh no, don't tell me she has amnesia again! I still have nightmares about that escapade. While Piper is thinking this, Phoebe walks over to a nearby mirror and stares at her reflection. "It worked." she says: "It actually worked." She looks at herself some more and continues: "Not bad, in fact it slightly resembles my original body." Piper has overheard these remarks and asks: "Phoebe, what are you talking about? What's going on?" Phoebe looks at Piper with confusion in her face, then enlightenment seems to dawn. "Oh, I get it." she says to Piper. "The one you know as Phoebe must be the original owner of this body. Well as of now, Phoebe is not here. You could say she is sleeping, and will continue to do so as long as I am here. My name is Sarah Jane McRitchie and I need your help."

Prue is working at Buckland's, when she gets a call from Piper: "Prue, you better get home now. We have a big problem and it involves Phoebe and the Ouija Board." Prue replies that she will be right there and hangs up. Oh, Phoebe! Prue thinks to herself: What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into now?

Later, when Prue arrives home, Piper brings her up to speed on what has happened. They go into the living room, where Phoebe, or rather Sarah Jane (I am henceforth referring to the possessed Phoebe as Sarah Jane), is sitting. Prue confronts Sarah Jane, asking: "Okay, who are you and what have you done with our sister, Phoebe?" Sarah Jane looks up and replies: "As I said, my name is Sarah Jane McRitchie, and I haven't done anything with Phoebe. She is merely asleep. Once I leave, she'll wake up and it will be as if nothing ever happened." Piper jumps in: "So you're not out to possess Phoebe for good?" Sarah Jane shakes her head no and replies: "I am just borrowing her for awhile. I need her body, and your help, to solve a murder." Prue is somewhat taken aback by this. "Murder?" she asks: "What murder? Whose?" Sarah Jane pauses and then says: "Mine. On Halloween, thirty-six years ago, I was brutally murdered by the man I was supposed to marry."

Soon the little group has headed into the kitchen where they continue their conversation. "I don't get it." Piper says: "If you were so determined to solve your own murder, why didn't you just possess somebody and do it a long time ago?" Sarah Jane shakes her head and replies: "It doesn't work that way. Good spirits can't just take somebody over, like evil spirits and Demons do. We can only do it if somebody opens the door for us, like Phoebe did with the Ouija Board. In doing that, she opened herself and I entered. Also Halloween is the time when the barriers between our two worlds are weaker, and there is the added incentive that this day is the anniversary of my murder. All I want is to see justice served, nothing more." she looks at Prue and Piper with pleading eyes. Prue speaks up: "Well I guess we'll do what we can. What is the name of the man who murdered you?" Sarah Jane eagerly replies: "Mark Poole, and he was twenty-two at the time." Piper does the math: "So that would make him fifty-eight now." Prue nods her head and turns back to Sarah Jane. "Okay, let's see what we can find out. It won't be easy. We had a friend at the San Francisco Police Department, but he died a few months ago. It's a long story and I would rather not talk about it." she concludes. Piper quickly jumps in: "Maybe we should go to the library and see if we can dig anything up there." But Prue reminds her that it is Sunday and the library is closed. "But I think we can still get in." she turns to Sarah Jane and says: "We have a few surprises up our sleeves."

The library is closed and quiet when Piper's car pulls up and the three of them get out and make their way to a back window. "Okay, let's get busy." Prue quickly waves her hand and the latch of the window unlocks. "Piece of cake. Give me a leg up." Piper and Sarah Jane help Prue get into the library and then Prue unlocks the main door and lets the two of them in.

The three of them quickly get on-line in the library database and are soon surfing old newspaper stories: "This is amazing." Sarah Jane says as she looks at the computer: "That such a small machine can store so much. I've been so angry and bitter all these years that I haven't been keeping up with the technological changes of the mortal world." Piper can't help but smile at this: "Well you're in for quite a few surprises yet." Meanwhile, Prue has been scanning the articles and soon finds something. "Look at this." she says and shows them the article in question:

LOCAL WOMAN MISSING, PRESUMED DROWNED

November 1, 1963

This Halloween took a tragic turn for the McRitchie family of Oakland this year. Their only child, a daughter named Sarah Jane, went missing while on a boating trip with her fiance Mark Poole, last night. In a statement to police, Mr. Poole claimed that Miss McRitchie lost her footing and fell into the water. Although he dived in to try and save her, he was unable to and as of yet, her body has not been recovered.

Sarah Jane is enraged: "That's an all out lie." she growls and tells Prue and Piper what really happened. "The truth was that I was going to break off the engagement. Mark had a drinking problem and would get very violent. He used to beat me, and one day I decided I just couldn't take it anymore. When we were out on that boat, I told him the truth, that it was over. He wouldn't accept it, saying that he would change, but I knew he never would. When he realized that my mind was made up, he made his choice. He took one of the oars and hit me over the head, knocking me out. Then he threw me into the water where, unconscious and helpless, I drowned, and my body was swept out to sea." Sarah Jane pauses for a second and then continues: "When my spirit left my body, I followed him home, but I couldn't really do anything about it. Finally I did go to the spirit world, but I have never forgotten what happened that awful night. Mark must be found and punished for what he did to me." Tears are now spilling out of Sarah Jane's (Phoebe's) eyes. Gently, Piper takes her hand and says: "Don't worry, Sarah Jane, we will find him. I promise you that."

As they get ready to leave the library, two policemen show up. "Now just hold it right there." one of the cops says: "Would you three please explain as to why you are in the library when it is closed?" Prue looks at Piper and says: "We don't have time for this." Piper takes her cue and uses her powers to freeze the cops. The three of them make a run for it. When the cops unfreeze, they are puzzled: "Where did those three girls go?" His partner is also somewhat shaken and mutters about college kids and their Halloween pranks.

As Piper's car motors through the street, Sarah Jane is impressed: "Just how did you do that?" she asks. Prue decides to come clean: "We're witches, Sarah Jane. I can the power to move objects, Piper can freeze time, and Phoebe, the one you're inhabiting, has the power to see visions of the past and future." Sarah Jane thinks about this and says: "So does this mean that, since I am in Phoebe's body right now, I now have this power." Prue supplies the answer. "Beats the hell out of me."

When the group gets back to Halliwell Manor, Prue goes over the ground they have covered: "Okay, here is what we know so far. Sarah Jane was listing as missing, presumed drowned, so that means the body was never found. That means even if we find Mark, we are going to have a hard time proving his guilt." Piper then ponders if the police questioned him further, Prue replies that they can find out and knows just who to see.

At the police station, Detective Morris is going through his papers. Although a few months have now passed, he still misses his partner, Andy Trudeau. He looks up when Prue comes into the office. "Prue." Morris says: "How are you holding up?" Prue smiles and replies: "As well as expected. Listen I need a favor. Phoebe has enrolled in a college course about unsolved deaths and she was assigned a mysterious drowning that happened on October 31, 1963. I was wondering if you could get the files for us." Morris considers, this is highly irregular, but concedes: "Just get the files back to us when you're finished with them." Prue promises she'll do just that. Soon after, as Prue leaves, Morris wonders: I still wonder what is going on with the Halliwells. Andy knew something about them, but he never had a chance to tell me.

Piper and Sarah Jane are waiting when Prue arrives home with the files. Soon all three are going through them. "I found something!" Piper suddenly announces and holds up a file. Prue takes it and reads it aloud to Sarah Jane. "Well it seems your parents were not convinced of Mark's story. They filed charges against him and he was arrested. However, due to lack of evidence, the charges were soon dropped." she looks at the anguish on Sarah Jane's face: "I'm sorry." Sarah Jane realizes something: "My parents! Imagine what they must have felt, what they may still be feeling. All these years of not knowing what happened to me." she looks at Prue and Piper. "I have to see them as well, I have to tell them." Piper points out that it's possible Sarah Jane's parents won't believe her. "Nevertheless I have to try." Sarah Jane replies grimly.

As the afternoon wears on, Prue is still going over the files, while Piper begins to get the candies ready for the trick-or-treaters. "After all, it's still Halloween." she says.

Sarah Jane has been quietly thinking by herself, when suddenly an idea strikes her. Quickly she goes over to Prue and asks: "Phoebe's powers, just exactly how do they work." Prue looks up and replies: "Well usually Phoebe has to touch a person or an object and she then has visions. She sees the future, the past, and sometimes she can even lead us to somebody. Why do you ask?" Sarah Jane sits down next to Prue and tells her a story:

SPRING OF 1963

Sarah Jane McRitchie looked on as her fiance, Mark Poole, dug a small hole at the base of an oak tree. The two of them had taken this day for an outing in the country, Mark was being well behaved today, usually that was the case when he was sober. Why do I stay with him? Sarah Jane thought to herself: Why? "There." Mark said as he finished digging the hole. As Sarah Jane watched, he placed his class ring into it. "Now give me yours." he said to her. "Why?" Sarah Jane asked. "Well we are going to get married soon, so I think, just for fun, we'll bury our class rings here. In say, twenty years, we'll come back and dig them up again." Sarah Jane thought the idea was silly, but went along with it anyway. She took her ring off and watched as Mark buried it along with his own, in a small tin box.

PRESENT DAY

Sarah Jane finishes her story. Prue clues into what she is saying: "So you think that maybe if we dig up the rings, Phoebe's power might work?" Sarah Jane smiles and replies: "It's worth a try."

Later, the three of them arrive in the country. "Now where is that tree?" Sarah Jane asks. They quickly hunt around and eventually they find the tree. "I just hope no one else has dug the rings up." Sarah Jane says as they begin to dig. Soon they dig up the tin box, Sarah Jane stares sadly at it, at what might have been. "Let's get this over with." she says and opens the box. The two rings are there and Sarah Jane picks up Mark's. "Now just clear your mind and see what happens." Piper says with encouragement in her voice. Sarah Jane does just that. At first, nothing happens, but then Phoebe's powers do kick in and she has a vision of the past:

It is near the end of November, 1963, the country is reeling from the assassination of President Kennedy. Mark Poole is driving along a country road. He is drunk, the guilt at what he had done to Sarah Jane was eating away at him, slowly, but surely. Alcohol had become his only friend, it blurred the guilt and the pain. Suddenly Mark comes out of his stupor only to see he has left the road and is heading right for a tree. It is too late to do anything and he crashes into it...

The vision ends and Sarah Jane looks at Prue and Piper. "I know where Mark is." she tells them.

Following Sarah Jane's directions, Piper drives them to a nursing home on the outskirts of San Francisco. Once they arrive, they go and ask the head nurse for Mark Poole. The nurse directs them to his room and soon the three of them are staring at a man lying on a bed, all kinds of tubes are hooked into his body. "I saw it happen in the vision." Sarah Jane explains: "It seems Mark was consumed by guilt over what he did to me and started drinking even harder. About a month after he murdered me, he was driving while drunk and crashed his car into a tree. This is the result, he's a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down. Plus he has severe brain damage. He be like this for the rest of his life." When Piper asks if they should call the police now, Sarah Jane says no: "I think fate has punished him more than the legal system ever could. Let's go and leave this poor wretch in peace."

Sarah Jane has one more stop to make and soon they pull up to a house in Oakland with the name MCRITCHIE on the mailbox. "Do you want us to come with you?" Piper asks Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane says no and adds: "I have to do this alone. They're my parents, and I have to tell them what happened. I have to try at least." She gets out of the car, walks up to the house, and knocks on the front door. Soon two elderly people answer and Sarah Jane enters the house with them.

Fifteen minutes later, Prue and Piper are still waiting. "How do you suppose it went?" Piper asks. Prue looks up just as the front door opens: "I think we'll soon know." They watch as Sarah Jane and the elderly couple reappear. For a moment, nothing happens, but then the elderly couple embrace Sarah Jane lovingly and she embraces them back. "I think they believed her." Piper says, her own eyes misting over.

After the group has returned to Halliwell Manor, Sarah Jane is ready to head back to the spirit world. "I want to thank you two for your help." she says to Prue and Piper: "You have helped my parents, and me, find some kind of closure after thirty-six years. Please tell Phoebe that I am sorry for the inconvenience." Prue and Piper say they will do so and they all say their good-byes. As Prue and Piper watch, what seems to be a misty human outline form leaves Phoebe's body and disappears. Phoebe collapses to the floor. Piper quickly kneels down and revives her. Soon Phoebe opens her eyes and looks up at her sisters: "Prue? Piper? What happened? What am I doing on the floor?" A smiling Piper replies: "It's a long story, Pheebs."

As Halloween winds down for another year, Phoebe is amazed at what happened: "So this Sarah Jane was inside me all day and I missed it. Well that settles it for me, no more Ouija Board for me. I missed all the excitement." As Phoebe puts the Ouija Board away, Piper wonders about Sarah Jane. "I wonder how she knew about us?" Prue just shrugs her shoulder and replies: "Who knows what goes on in the spirit world."

EPILOGUE - THE SPIRIT WORLD

A grateful Sarah Jane is thanking her benefactor. "Thank you for directing me to the Halliwells. But I'm curious, just how did you know they could help me?" Smiling, Andy Trudeau replies: "Let's just say that the Halliwells and I go back a long way..."